TC: Redemption
by Dead Raen
Summary: Leon/Ada. The final part of the TC trilogy. Update: this is pretty much a dead story. I'm probably not finishing it. Here's the last bit I was working on but never released, and some fun facts as well.
1. Beginnings

Hey, all. I wanted to get this out before Christmas, as sort of a present. Or something. Updates may or may not be regular, We'll have to see what happens.

Before I started with Redemption, I decided that Rain, for whom the story was named for (sort-of, It's kind of a long story), so I whipped this up to better explain how Rain and Ada first met (Would you look at that? I'm tying all of these stories together!) Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Ada Wong. Or the year 1992, in case you were wondering.

* * *

_"Our time has come, watch me set it off._

_Its been a while, but we back -_

_So you can count it loss._

_We lay and wait, don't hesitate_

_When opportunity knocks._

_Break the locks and rush the gates,_

_Seize the day - we got moves to make._

_Its got to be now_

_'Cause were half past late..."_

P.O.D. , _Set it Off._

* * *

**BEGINNINGS**

1992

"Shit," A raven-haired assassin muttered as she ducked down behind an overturned table. Bullets whizzed over her head and a few hit her feeble cover, spraying wooden shrapnel on the velvet rug beneath her.

Ada Wong, a freshly-deployed spy, found herself in the middle of an impromptu firefight, and judging from the burning pain she felt across her shoulder, she wasn't doing so well.

She brought her pistol p to the side of the table and pulled the trigger, causing a quickly-becoming-familiar pain to shoot through her wrist.

The entire mission had gone right to shit a mere twenty minutes after it had started, with her accidentally tripping a sensor in the lavish mansion's security system.

_That fucking door, how the hell did I forget about that?_

Ada fired once more, her arm beginning to get sore. She raised her entire body in one motion and brought the handgun up to her eye. Two people were hiding around a corner at the end of the corridor, which had once looked nice - cherry-oak furnishings, milky-white walls and gorgeous, expensive paintings on the walls. Now they were riddled with bullet holes and many of the paintings rested on the floor, torn and ruined.

With a learned mechanical accuracy, Ada aimed up on the corner and fired, dropping one of the guards. The other one turned the opposite corner and she picked him off quickly. A thin stream of smoke rose from the barrel of her weapon as she waited for anyone else to come through, the adrenaline leaving her muscles.

_I'm going to need to call for some serious backup._

Satisfied for the moment, she holstered her weapon - noting how itchy and uncomfortable the thigh holster felt on her bare skin - and checked her shoulder. A bullet had grazed her, leaving a pinking scar running across her otherwise flawless skin. Her black dress hadn't fared much better, she found out, as a gust from a nearby window swept it into view, showing her a neat hole at the bottom.

_Wonderful. I liked this dress, too._

Ada reached for the new phone strapped to her side, pausing to admire the piece of equipment. Cellular devices such as this one were expensive, and the ones with large square-inch screens were hard to come by - just another testament to the money her company held.

As she watched the screen, pressing the numbers, the shiny plastic surface caught her reflection and showed it back to her, revealing a young, 18-year old Asian woman with dark, sweat-soaked locks clinging to her temples.

_Is this what you want to become? Is this what you want to do for the rest of your life?_

Ada sighed as she brought the device up to her ear, back up to a corner of the wall when the ring sounded on the other line.

-

Officer Jake Preston stood outside the room owned by private Rain, or "Dead Rain", as he'd liked to be called. The solid wooden door that stood there had a golden "38" attached to it. He rapped his knuckles against it lightly.

"Yeah." He heard Rain confirm, and he opened it. A dim, golden light poured over him and sank into the near-black hallway, and as he entered, he found the source - a small table light was on, shining on black pieces of equipment that lay on the desk. Rain was hunched over them.

A quick look around the area confirmed that the brown-haired kid in front of him wasn't particularly sentimental, yet still held a somewhat sophisticated taste. The walls were bare, no paintings on them to make it feel like home. A small television stood in the corner of the room, and a lather sofa was in front of it. The kitchen was entirely stainless steel.

Jake walked toward Rain, who he could now see was cleaning a weapon. He looked up, flashing his quick, emerald eyes at him before continuing to reassemble his weapon.

"Good evening, Officer." He spoke quietly.

"Shouldn't you be out partying and getting drunk at some celebration instead of being at you dorm, doing nothing?" He asked. Tonight had been the night that he, along with the rest of the trainees, had graduated from the company's rigorous service training program. The program was devised into two divisions: Special Operations, and Covert Operations. The two divisions had a tendency to work side-by-side, and was designed to produce the best of the best - and although Rain hadn't graduated at the top of the class, he wasn't far from it.

"The first - and most important - lesson of the academy; always be ready for anything." He replied, not looking away from his work. "If I'm out partying, I may not be ready for a problem that may arise. We have to always be ready in this line of work. If I had not been here, right now, you wouldn't be giving me my first job."

Jake was amazed, as always. rain was one of those guys who knew what was happening before it happened.

"Very good," Jake said, suddenly feeling a tad insignificant in front of this man. "I'll be brief, then. You remember Ada Wong, don't you?"

There was a pause. "Yes. 18, Chinese descent. Covert Operations division. I've worked with her before."

"We sent her on a mission, but things haven't really gone as planned."

"And you need someone who isn't drunk out of their fucking mind to go get her." He locked the slide of the pistol into place, his hands moving with precision and accuracy.

"When can you leave?" Jake asked.

Rain lifted his handgun up off the desk, sliding a magazine in. "Right now."

-

One Hour Later

Ada fired off her final round and it caught the guard in the jaw, shredding through his neck and connecting with his throat.

This is not good.

Another one came at her, gun aimed on her head.

"We have you surrounded," Someone behind her said. Two more above her on the balcony that overlooked the foyer she was in appeared, weapons in hand. "Surrender now."

Well, so much for this.

Ada dropped her weapon and put her hands in the air, standing up. She had been so close to making it out the door. She had the package the company wanted in hand - she could have completed the mission had things not worked out so poorly.

And now I stand here, waiting to die.

The one in front of her approached slowly, obviously not taking any chances with her.

_crack._

It was a sound Ada wouldn't forget for a long, long time. The sound of a stone being thrown at a window, cracking it. The window that had suffered the mistreatment was, incidentally, the one that the guard was closest to, and he immediately shifted his attention to it. Suddenly the glass exploded with a loud crash, and the guard fell, a bullet in his head. Ada ducked down, not sure what to do. The guards around her didn't either,apparently, as they watched the window with just as much confusion as she felt.

She looked behind her in time to see the guy behind her get wasted as the window next to him exploded, too - only this time a large mass of person in all-black crashed through with it. As soon as he appeared he was gone, behind a large desk.

"What the fuck is this?" One of the two remaining guards asked, his tone lending itself to disbelief.

Ada kept her gaze glued on the desk, and was relieved when a familiar black gas mask shot up from it, along with an arm holding a very large pistol. It was someone from the company.

The man didn't take any time in taking down the guards, taking down both with pinpoint accuracy. Ada stood up when he did, scooping up her weapon before walking over to him.

"Who the hell are you?" She asked, unable to come up with a better question.

"Well," Came a voice behind the mask. "I'm an interesting guy. I can be a lot of things - your greatest salvation, or your ultimate damnation. Perhaps -" He stopped in mid-sentence, raising his weapon past Ada and firing. She didn't need to turn to know that he hit his mark. "Perhaps," he restarted, pulling his mask off and revealing someone she knew. "I can be both. Dead Rain, at your service."

* * *

A little insight into exactly Ada and Rain got into the position they're in now. The song is meant to represent their desire to use their new found abilities - now that they're full-fledged assassins, that is. Update hopefully soon?


	2. Redemption Chapter 1

So I'm not sure if the following chapters will be as long as this one. It was either make it really short or substantially longer. Oh well

Disclaimer: I don't own Capcom's stuff, nor Chevrolet's, nor Nissan's. Get off my back already, jeez.

* * *

_"Aint found a way to kill me yet..._

_Eyes burn with stinging sweat._

_Seems every path leads me to nowhere._

_Wife and kids, household pet._

_Army green was no safe bet._

_The bullets scream to me from somewhere._

_Here they come to snuff the rooster._

_Yeah here comes the rooster, yeah._

_You know he ain't gonna die._

_No, no, no, ya' know he ain't gonna die."_

_- _Alice in Chains, _Rooster_

* * *

**REDEMPTION**

-

2005

A young chestnut-brown haired woman pushed herself up off of a body below her as her senses clicked back into gear.

_Holy shit, we survived._

Rebecca Chambers, a biochemist by job and crime fighter by nature, looked around the cramped compartment she was in. The van that she had been riding in was spun forward, lifted into the air by the prison's immense explosion. The back doors had been ripped clean off and most of her equipment was missing. A thick, bright-orange light poured through the orifice. The side doors, thankfully, had remained shut. The entire ordeal had caused a light burning in her foot and arm - cuts or bruises, certainly nothing serious. She'd been damn lucky.

She could tell by the ragged breathing she felt from her friend, however, that he had not. Leon Scott Kennedy, the intelligent, ever-capable operative was lying below her, likely trying his hardest not to die. Rebecca swept her small fingers over his neck and felt a weakening pulse.

_We need to get back home, I don't have anything for him here..._

"Drivers!" She called out, hoping the two people that had supplied them with a ride were alive. There was no response.

_Gotta call Claire and Jill._

Up until this moment she had forgotten she was wearing the long-wave radio on her ear, and she quickly turned it on.

"Claire, Jill, come in. This is Rebecca. Over." There was static in reply, but only for a moment.

"Rebecca? Thank god! I thought we'd lost you." Claire's voice broke through, high and stressed. Hang tight, we're coming to get you, over."

"Copy that, make it quick, over." Rebecca replied, somewhat relieved that pickup wasn't far away.

"Will do. How's Leon? Over."

Rebecca looked down at her dying friend. "He's not doing well, he requires immediate medical attention. I'd give him maybe an hour at best." She rested her hand on his shoulder, feeling the shaking that was often associated with shock.

She heard Claire swear softly on the other line. "We'll be there as soon as we can. Out." Rebecca found her footing and backed out of the overturned van, taking in what she saw with awe.

The prison's explosion had decimated a huge circumference of land - the underlying facility had been an expansive network of tunnels and rooms - Rebecca was sure she had only seen a very small glimpse of it. Fires raged into the night, filling the sky with smoky ash and a brilliant orange glow.

And as the van driven by Barry, Claire and Jill pulled up, she decided that the burning Umbrella facility was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen.

-

Two weeks later

Tiny viruses and cells danced in the viewing sight of the microscope. Rebecca watched as the virus approached the cell and infected it, the cell turning a similar gray color. She looked away from the microscopic infection and jotted down some notes on her paper, prepping for her report.

Following Umbrella's fall from power, Rebecca had continued on her career as a biochemist, landing a great job at a large Pharmaceutical company. It paid for everything she wanted - and then some. While she wasn't particularly rich, she was more than well off. She wasn't thinking about the job, or the money, or the somewhat dangerous observations she was reporting on. No, her mind was far elsewhere.

"Ahem." Someone cleared their throat behind her, breaking her out of her thoughts. "How are we doing, Miss Chambers?" Rebecca's boss, Director of Research Frederick Crowe asked, leaning over her shoulder to read the notes she'd jotted down.

"Fine, sir." She replied, looking back down into the microscope. The cell she'd been observing had deteriorated and began pumping out identical virus strands. The virus had multiplied. "I think I'm about done here."

"Well I should hope so!" He said, chuckling. "These fourteen-hour days are rough. Are you positive you wouldn't rather have the eight-hour shifts? It'd be no problem at all."

"Thank you, but I think I'll hold on to my hours, at least for now." Rebecca politely replied. "This work helps me to not think about the daily problems we all face." A massive lie.

"Yes, well, I guess we all need an escape plan, don't we?" He leaned back, making for the door. "I'll leave you to your studies, then. Have a nice evening." He left right as Rebecca closed her book and dumped the virus sample into the sterile alcohol. She was done for the day.

She left the building, muttering her goodbyes to her co-workers and making for her Altima, trying to avoid the rain as much as she could. As she got settled in the compartment, she sunk into her seat and stretched out, thinking ever so much about the brown-haired secret she was hiding in her small medical room.

Rebecca sighed as his name rang into her mind. Leon Scott Kennedy. One of her best friends, and yet one of the causes of the sleepless nights. Two weeks ago she had shot and killed people, something she wasn't very keen on doing. Two weeks ago she had gone into the depths of a prison for an assassination attempt. She shot at and killed people.

Yet no matter how she looked at it, she could feel nothing but a best-friend love for the handsome man. After all, he was the one that had ensured her survival back at the prison, and he was the one she had most connected with back in 1998. They were the two rookies who had miraculously survived their first day on the job.

The dark drive back to her home was uneventful as anything, and she quickly made her way for her room, tossing her damp jacket onto her bed - but keeping her white lab coat on - before heading for basement, where the hi-tech medical room - as well as her friend - waited for her. The door to the room slid open silently and the lights beamed on, revealing to her the 27-year-old Leon Kennedy, currently in a deep coma-like unconscious state. Wiring drooped out from his body and connected to machines, monitoring his current status: stabilized.

_Still nothing. At least he's getting better. I hope._

Rebecca ran her slender hand across Leon's forehead and down his cheek, hoping to get some sort of response out of him but not expecting any.

"Come on, buddy." She said, looking across his scarred face. "It's high-time to wake up. I miss you."

She stood there a moment longer before making her way for the door - She'd have to get some sleep for the graveyard shift she was assigned to tomorrow. She passed through the doorway and it slid shut behind her. The lights shut off, engulfing the young man back into the darkness.

Had she waited around a moment longer, she would have seen the monitor that reported Leon's sleeping patterns change from unconscious to REM.

-

One day later

At first all he knew was darkness.

This instinct was replaced with fear, then confusion, and finally reasoning. He couldn't see anything, but could hear a multitude of buzzers and sirens going off around him. Soon his eyes adjusted to the light that the machines around him were giving off, and he could see very clearly that he was in a stainless steel box.

Not that that meant anything to him, of course. It might as well have been a teddy bear-coated box, he wouldn't have been able to understand if that was normal or not.

The sirens annoyed the hell out of him, and as he turned to look at one of them, his eyes caught something of interest. Words on a screen.

_Leon S Kennedy_

And suddenly everything was coming together for him, logic taking its rightful place in his mindscape. Leon was in some medical place, and was currently being cared for because-

_Because you fucked up hard at the prison and damn-near got you and Rebecca killed. Nice job, by the way._

"Fuck off." He spoke out loud to himself, his senses coming back to him. The sirens that he heard had dulled down to quiet chirps, the room smelled of rubbing alcohol -

_Oh, here we go..._

- And the largest migraine he had ever had took no time in settling into his skull. The pain shot through his head and down his body, causing all of the wounds he'd received from his prison stay to reveal themselves with a brilliantly consuming fanfare. At once he felt like he'd rather be dead.

_This - fucking - sucks._

He sat up, the intense pain growing even larger, and took another look around the room, holding his head in his hand and squinting shut one of his eyes. It took him a second, but he understood that he was in Rebecca's house - she must have been caring for him while he was down and out.

Leon carelessly yanked all of the equipment strapped to him off and placed his legs on the ground. He went to stand up, however, and fell down onto the cold ground. The impact hurt, but the cold helped his headache, so he decided he didn't mind that he couldn't walk.

_Phone, phone..._

He spotted the device on the counter, next to a small pile of papers. The built-in clock told him it was 1:43 AM. He grasped the phone with one hand and slowly typed in Rebecca's number, trying this best not to throw up from the upset stomach he'd suddenly contracted by the migraine.

The phone rang three times before he got her answering machine. He cut the connection and leaned up against the cold metal counter, drifting into a light, pain-filled sleep.

Leon was shaken out of his sleep, however, buy the sudden ungodly loud ring produced by the phone. His eyes opened and he looked down at it, his migraine coming back to him, and read that he'd only been out for ten minutes. He picked up the device.

"Yeah," He rasped, his throat suddenly dry as a desert.

"Leon?! Oh my god, Leon are you alright?" A young female voice called over the line.

He smiled weakly, glad to hear Rebecca's voice, even if it _did_ send bolts of lightning through his head. "Hi, 'Becca. I'm feeling kind of terrible right now. Where are you?"

There was a sigh of relief on the other line. "I'm on my way home right now. Hold tight." She hung up and Leon dropped the phone back on its pedestal, pushing it off to the side. He drifted back into a slightly deeper sleep and missed the sound of a car pulling up to the house, the front door opening, and the medical bay's door sliding open.

Rebecca's delicate touch, however, shot adrenaline through his body and he was awake, looking straight into her bright green eyes.

"Hey," She spoke, her voice a touch over a whisper. "How do you feel?" She asked, her hands working up his neck, his forehead, his pulse.

"I'm having a hangover from hell. How long have I been out?"

She finished checking his vitality and lowered her hands. "Two weeks," She replied. "I want to get you out of here and into bed. Can you move?"

Leon let his head fall back against the counter. "Not on my own."

"Then I'll help you. Think you can make two flights of stairs?"

"The guest room is only one flight up."

"Sorry, I don't trust your body in its current state. You're sleeping with me tonight."

"Is that an order?"

A small smile flashed across her face. "Yes, it is."

Leon lifted his arm and she slid her neck under it, hoisting him up. Together they slowly made their way up the stairs and into her room, where Leon promptly fell on the bed, but fought through his headache and sat up, hunched over. "Rebecca," He beckoned, and she sat down next to him, waiting for whatever it was he had to say.

"I've no doubt in my mind that without you I'd be dead right now. You are the most awesome person I have ever met. Ever." She laughed lightly and wrapped her arms around him, which he promptly mirrored.

"Of course, Leon. I'm not going to let you die." She said, her embrace beginning to burn at Leon's body.

"Thank you, Rebecca." The two friends stayed like that for a moment longer before they released.

"Get some rest now. I have some work-relating things to attend to, and then I'll be in."

Leon leaned back and close his eyes, his mind already starting to wander. His last recognizable thought was that of a certain raven-haired beauty...

* * *


	3. Chapter 2

Yeah. Some stuff is happening so I don't know if I'll be able to update for an extra week or so. Enjoi.

* * *

Rebecca woke up slowly. Her eyes opened and were instantly flooded with sunlight coming from the window. Her body recoiled with distaste and she turned over, burying her face in her pillow.

Right as she was about to doze back off, her alarm sounded - a loud, obnoxious beeping. She groaned in response to the wretched thing and reached her arm out, feeling for the snooze button. She found it and pressed it and the alarm stopped, allowing only a moment's peace.

"Not a morning person, huh?" Leon's voice broke through her mind once more. For a moment, she thought she had imagined it.

Then Rebecca remembered the events that occurred last night.

"Go away, I hate you." She mumbled through the pillow, and Leon laughed.

"Well, alright. Food's downstairs when you're ready."

"Coffee?" She asked hopefully.

"You know it." He replied.

"Alright, I'm up." Rebecca said, lifting her body off of the comfortable mattress. Leon laughed again, and she heard the bedroom door close. "At least he's pulling his weight around here." She mumbled to herself before sliding out of her bed and starting her morning.

-

Leon scanned through the documentation Rebecca had written with nothing less than sheer horror. It was a journal detailing her latest patient, him.

_Severe shrapnel wounds, multiple lacerations, three broken ribs, major internal bleeding..._

What surprised him the most, however, is what was on page two.

_"Patient went into cardiac arrest for roughly fifteen seconds. Defibrillated twice, administered 35ccs of adrenaline. Patient returned to coma-state..."_

_Holy shit. I knew I was bad, but damn..._

He heard footsteps coming from the hall and Rebecca appeared in the doorway, not unlike the way she had a few weeks ago, when he had first entered her house. She wore a white blouse and light green shorts, and Leon admitted that she wore her clothes well. Her hair clung to the sides of her face, causing streaks of water from her shower to fall down her cheeks.

"Going through my stuff, huh?" She asked as she walked forward, smiling.

"Well jeez, Rebecca. You sure write about me a lot." Leon replied, lifting up the medical book. "Do I have to worry about a stalker in my midst?"

"Hey! Give me that!" She swiped the book out of his hands and opened it, flipping the pages until she found a clean one. "That does remind me, though. How're you feeling?"

Leon flexed his limbs, eyeing each as he did. "I'm a little sore, but I'll manage."

"No migraine?"

"No. It must have been a spur-of-the-moment thing."

"Stitches?"

He ran his hand over his dark blue tee, feeling Rebecca's patchwork along his chest. "They're all here."

"Wonderful." Rebecca said, grabbing a pen up off the table Leon was sitting at and scribbled something into her book before closing it and tossing it onto the table. Her eyes stayed on it, her smile fading. "Yeah... it was really touch-and-go with you for a while. There was some times where I thought you were..." She stopped, sighing.

Leon looked up at her, his face solid and resolute. "Rebecca, thanks to you I'm alive. You made sure nothing bad happened to me - and I'd never expect any less from you."

Rebecca looked back at him and smiled, nodding. "You're right. Guess that's two you owe me, huh?"

Leon shook his head, smiling and rolling his eyes. "Oh, here we go..."

She laughed in reply. "Here - if the coffee is good, you'll only owe me one." She said, walking into the kitchen. "Whoa!" He heard her exclaim. "You can cook!?" She yelled at him across the way, likely referring to the bacon and eggs he'd fixed.

"I resent that." he called back, getting up to meet her in the kitchen. As he turned the corner he saw that she had already made a plate, taking in the meal with obvious gratitude. Leon sat down at the table across from her, waiting for a pause in her eating. When he found one, he started.

"So what's been happening while I was down? Where is everyone?" He asked.

Rebecca leaned back in her chair, placing her fork on the end of the plate. "Let's see... Well, Claire and I have continued our jobs because we're not affiliated with the government. Claire works at TerraSave now, by the way. Chris and Jill are off doing whatever kind of top-secret government stuff, and Chris is keeping an eye out for any reports of Wesker. He mentioned something about Africa, but wasn't too sure.

"Ever since the prison we've kind of just been taking things slow. I'm sure we raised quite a few red flags with that entire mess."

Leon nodded. "And any word of Ada?"

Rebecca picked up a piece of her bacon, biting a part of it off. "No. She hasn't shown up at all since the prison. I'm sorry, Leon."

Leon sighed, thinking. This wasn't anything new to him, not by a long shot. He was used to her elusive nature. Helping others to get what she wanted, putting it all on the line to complete her job...

"Uh oh," Rebecca said suddenly, looking at the clock fixed to her wall. "I gotta get going if I don't want to be late." She stood up, putting her now cleaned-off plate in the dishwasher and filling up a thermos with fresh coffee. "I'll be back around 8. Any food you find is fair game, but leave something for me." Leon got up and walked over to the sink, rinsing off the pan he'd used. Rebecca grabbed her lab coat off of the counter and brushed past him but stopped, turning around and grabbing his arm.

"Oh, and thanks for the breakfast. I knew there was a reason I was keeping you around." She said, and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Hey, it's the least I could do, right?" He called to her as she left through the front door.

_Now, first things first. Where's my car?_

He found it in the garage, closed and locked. Not particularly clean, but he'd get to that later. The keys were lying on the small workbench next to it. Satisfied, he left the garage and entered the living room, taking a spot on the couch.

_Now, where might you be, Ms. Wong?_

-

Rebecca got home late, as she typically did. By the time she had gotten through her door, it was already 8:30.

"Hey, 'Becca." She heard Leon call from somewhere in the house. "Food's on the stove. Should still be warm."

"Good. I'll let you stay, for now." She called back, receiving a quiet laugh. She made her way to the kitchen and found what he had spoken of - a plate with a lamb chop, potatoes and corn that called her name.

_Awesome. I haven't had time to eat like this in ages._

After the meal Rebecca found Leon behind her house on the deck, lounging on the wooden bench that faced toward her backyard. She watched him sit there behind the sliding glass door for a moment before joining him, handing a beer she'd grabbed from the fridge.

"This view is amazing," He said as she sat down, cracking open his beverage. She nodded in agreement. Her house was situated on the outskirts of Los Angeles and the back of the house faced the stretch of mountains to the North. And although light pollution caused the sky to continually burn with a yellowish glow, some stars managed to peek out above the tops of them. It was a nice change of pace, being able to see the open sky. The area had been plagued with constant storms for nearly all of January, and now that Leon...

Rebecca smiled and shook her head at the metaphor. Fitting, but she had the feeling that _wasn't_ the actual reason for the changes in the weather.

"Hm?" Leon asked, noticing her movements.

"Just thinking. It was stormy all January, and the day you wake up is the day it all goes away." She took a swig of her beer as he laughed, mimicking her by shaking his head and pulled her in close to him.

"That's a nice concept," He spoke. "But I don't think it works quite that way either."

"If only." Rebecca replied, at first surprised by the embrace but somewhat calmed by it. "What did you do all day?"

"I just got reoriented with everything. Began looking for Ada with your computer."

"Oh? Find anything?"

"Just some old leads from when I was looking for her a few years ago."

"You really care about her, huh?" Leon nodded. "Well, I took the next few days off on emergency detail, so I'll be around to help you out. We can find her together."

"You don't have to do that," He started, but she stopped him.

"And _you_ don't have to make restaurant-class meals, but you do anyway. Besides, my boss has been bugging me about time off as of late, so it works out."

"Well then," He said, taking another drink. "So does that make us even now?"

"Not on your life." Rebecca replied, and they both laughed, enjoying the rest of the evening together.

Their plans would soon be derailed, however, as 1200 miles up, a satellite took an image of the two friends. The image was relayed back to the Washington DC and posted on a computer monitor. And the man that the two would soon learn to hate muttered a single phrase.

"I've found you."


	4. Chapter 3

A few hours later than I had hoped it'd be released, but I've got quite a few things to worry about right now. So.

* * *

Leon brought his knife up to his assassin's throat and held it there. His other hand rested on their wrist, keeping the handgun they held pointed safely away from his body,

"Bit of advice; try using knives next time. Works better for _close encounters..._" He trailed off, his hand moving over the gun and taking it from them. He spun around and walked back, ejecting the clip and throwing the weapon over to the corner of the room.

"Leon," came a feminine, very familiar voice. "Long time no see."

Leon turned and recognized the assailant now that she wasn't wearing her specs. "Ada." He growled. "So it _is_ true."

Ada cocked her head, adjusting her body to appeal to the government agent. "True?" She asked innocently. "About what?"

"You. Workin' with Wesker." Leon replied flatly.

Ada scoffed. "I see you've been doing your homework."

"Why, Ada?"

"What's it to you?" She replied, her voice growing a tad icy.

"Why are you here?" Leon asked, stepping forward, noticing that her eyes quickly darted down to the ground before leveling with his. "Why'd you show up like this?"

Ada scoffed, looking away, and in the next moment he was blinded, light exploding from the glasses she had dropped.

"See you around," Ada said, and Leon could just barely make out her figure against the moonlit wall.

"Ada!" He called, watching as she escaped out a window...

-

"Leon!" Rebecca whispered into his ear, rousing him from his sleep. His eyes took in the dark room - it was still night, and Rebecca's figure was hunched over him, her features illuminated by the crescent moonlight pouring through the half-closed blinds. She looked worried.

She placed a hand on his shoulder and lightly shook him. "Leon, wake up! We're in trouble!" She spoke, her voice still barely audible. "The FBI is here!"

At that his eyes shot open and he felt his heart skip a beat. "_What?_" He asked in disbelief.

Suddenly he heard the front door slam open, people yelling and moving through the foyer. Rebecca turned and ran through the bedroom doorway. Leon shot up and followed. As he turned the corner he saw them: a group of about six people, all dressed in black, heavy gear. It was a SWAT team, and they were detaining Rebecca on the ground.

"Get off of her!" Leon yelled furiously and bolted forward. He didn't get farther than ten feet before two more had intercepted him, pushing him back. One of them had handcuffs out. He forced himself through the two, about to repeat his warning - but a third member approached him, slamming the stock of his rifle into Leon's face. His mind fluttered as he went down, trying to gain his bearings. A moment later he was rolled on to his back, and through the ringing in his ears he heard one of their voices.

"You have the right to remain silent. If you choose to forfeit this right, anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law." He remembered the words that were being told to him. Back in the academy he had been taught to say the exact same lines. The irony was not lost on him. "You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you." With the last of his strength he attempted to sputter out Rebecca's name, but soon his will left him.

"Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?"

-

Leon awoke a few hours later to the rumbling of a vehicle going over rough road. He opened his eyes and realized he was faced against a wall. His head thumped heavily where he got hit and he groaned as the pain washed over him.

"Leon?" Came a small, hushed voice to his side.

"Yeah," he spat, covering his throbbing head with his hands. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm alright. A little shaken up..." Rebecca replied. "Sorry, I can't help you. I'm bound to the other side of the truck."

Leon looked up and saw Rebecca looking down at him, perched on the side bench near the rear window of the SWAT prison van. He sat up and leaned against the tall behind him, feeling that his legs were shackled to it anyhow.

"Arrested," He said, sighing. "Sorry, Rebecca. I'll make this up to you, I promise."

In spite of the situation Rebecca laughed. "Yeah, alright. 'Sorry I got us busted, let me take you out to dinner as an apology'." She mocked.

"So dinner's not going to cut it, then?" Leon asked, catching a glimpse of Rebecca's warm face as a streetlight lit up the truck.

"I'm thinking diamonds."

"Diamonds?!" His voice grew ragged as he spoke. "We can't afford that, I'd have to put a second mortgage on our home and-"

"Hey, shut the fuck up back there." The driver of the van interrupted Leon's playful banter. Leon rolled his eyes, making sure Rebecca caught it.

"Don't worry hun', I'll find a way-"

"The fuck did I just tell you? Cram it!" The driver yelled again. Leon sighed, rubbing a hand across the chain that kept his leg connected to the wall. The ring that encircled his leg has far too large, however, and Leon managed to wiggle his foot out of the device. Apparently whoever had chained him up didn't actually care enough to do it right. He quietly slid over to Rebecca, who had averted her attention to the window.

"Hey," He whispered, and she jumped, surprised. He quickly cupped her mouth, and after a moment she understood, shaking her head.

"Nice one," She whispered back as he removed his hand, a slight grin finding its way on her face.

"What are the charges against us?" He asked.

"You have AWOL, arson, willful destruction of private property, and mass murder of the first degree. I have arson, willful destruction, mass murder of the second degree and aiding and abetting of a federal felon."

"So that's like 18 months, then, right?"

Rebecca shrugged. "Something like that, yeah."

"I'll get us out of this."

"I'm not worried."

There was a moment of silence between the two as they focused on the dimly-lit road behind them.

"At the very least, you owe me a beer." Rebecca said, leaning into Leon. He ran his fingers through her hair, remaining focused on the outside.

"I can do that."

-

The van stopped at the local airport and the two were escorted out. They were separated on the plane and Leon had found that the best way to relieve the pain that was turning itself into a headache was to sleep. When he awoke, they were outside of DC. Then it was into another truck - alone this time. Apparently the driver didn't want to hear them. The second ride was shorter than the first, and after some jostling Leon found himself in one of the interrogation rooms inside the very building he worked at.

_Or used to work at. I guess we'll have to see._

He sat there alone for a good twenty minutes before someone finally came in. He looked like he was in his fifties, balding on the top and telltale wrinkles in his face. He was dressed up in a suit-and-tie. The norm for this place.

He just stood there, watching Leon. Leon, in turn, watched back, wondering exactly what the hell he was waiting for.

_Is he trying to freak me out or something? I don't get this-_

The door to the interrogation room opened, and a guard appeared, holding the door open for Rebecca.

_Oh._

She walked in, eyes lowered, and sat down next to Leon.

The man finally moved, walking toward the table that he leaned on and emitted a small chuckle.

"Leon, Leon, Leon." He spoke, his voice light yet ominous. "My, how I've been wanting to meet you. Hard to imagine that it was just two weeks ago that I started looking for you, and yet here you are."

"Is this when I'm supposed to care?" Leon asked tersely. "Just who are you?"

"Well, I'm the man assigned to find you. You see, you may have thought you were alone, in your own little world for these past days, but I've been looking all around for that beautiful mug of yours. And, as you might have guessed, I found it." The man stopped long enough to pull a photo out of his pocket. He brought up to his eyesight, no longer focused on Leon. "You should remember one thing, Leon. In the twenty-first century, you are never alone. Ever." At that he tossed the photo on the table, leaning back.

Leon slid the photo in front of him, eyeing it with distaste. It was a black-and-white of two people - Leon and Rebecca - sitting on a bench. Leon had his arm wrapped around Rebecca and she was leaning into him, taking a sip of the beer she'd brought it.

He would've thought the image was cute had it not been used to find and arrest him.

Rebecca leaned over to take a look at the picture and scoffed.

"Wonderful," She said, leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed. "Nice to know my government is spending its resources looking for the wrong people."

"Actually, Miss Chambers, until I presented them with the connections to all of the other places your boyfriend here bombed, they had very little interest in arresting him. But considering his somewhat abnormal desire to destroy _our facilities_..."

Leon immediately rose, bringing his hands up. He was stopped by the cuffs that connected him to the table, which was bolted firmly into the ground.

"...I felt it necessary to give them the missing puzzle pieces."

"You..." Leon said, anger kissing the edge of his words. The government hadn't found them. Umbrella did. "You son of a bitch. Using the feds to your own ends."

The man smiled. "It's really quite clever, isn't it? After all, it was the government that has been keeping us down this entire time. And now we can utilize them to our advantage and get what we need done." By now Rebecca was standing as well.

"You're despicable." She said coldly. "When we get out of here -"

The man cut her off with a swipe of his finger through the air in front of her. "Ah, but you won't. You two have enough charges to be shipped back to Texas and executed. Don't you know you're infamous, Leon? The press knows about you. Sure, they only know what the g-man tells them, but."

The man's pager went off, and he reached down to his waist and clicked it. "Well, I must be going. Enjoy your last few hours together before you're shipped off to different prisons. Maybe you can get Chambers there knocked up so her execution date is prolonged, Leon. There's still time, and it's the least you could do." He smiled, turning for the door.

"Eat shit, asshole." Leon spat, glaring at him.

"Oh, one last thing, Leon." The man stopped, turning. Suddenly he swung his fist out, hard and low into Leon's chest. Unprepared, Leon took it in full, pain shooting up his body as his stitches ripped out. The man recoiled before Leon had a chance to retaliate. "Wesker says 'Hello'!" A poisonous laugh echoed off the walls as he opened the door and left.

Leon fell back on the chair, trying to breathe, separating his shirt from his chest as best he could. Instantly Rebecca was pulling the shirt up, checking the damage.

"Doesn't look good," She said. Leon pulled the shirt back down, brushing away Rebecca's hands and catching his breath.

"It looks worse than it is," He said when he could. "I'm fine for now." She gave him a look of disagreement, but nodded and rested back in her chair.

_That guy. I'll hunt him down and kill him myself._

_Oh, you mean like Wesker? How's that going, by the way?_

The pain in his chest had lessened into a dull throbbing, which was something he could deal with. The two sat in silence for a short while longer, Leon staring up into the ceiling and Rebecca inspecting the photograph on the table.

Eventually the door opened -

_- Oh, wow. I've heard of sick jokes -_

- And Ingrid Hunnigan walked through it, the door closing shut behind her.

"Hello, Leon. It's been a while."


	5. Chapter 4

Pretty dry, lots-of-talking chapter. But it's not like I had anything better to do today, so. Happy days.

* * *

Hunnigan placed a recorder on the table, followed by the folder. She sat down on the opposite side of the table, opening the folder. Inside were papers lined with boxes and lines. She started out at the top with her pen, filling out the date and time. She then pressed the record button on the recorder.

"Interrogation taking place on the ninth of February, 2005 at 9:43 AM. State your name." She told Leon.

Leon sighed. This is exceptionally ridiculous, considering Hunnigan knew his profile inside-out. "Leon Scott Kennedy."

"Year of birth."

"1977."

Hunnigan turned to Rebecca.

"State your name."

"Rebecca Chambers."

"Year of birth."

"1980."

"I'm going to ask you a series of questions. You are protected under the Fifth Amendment and do not have to answer any of the questions. If you choose to cooperate you will waive that right and answer all questions to the best of your abilities. Do you understand your rights?"

"Yes." They replied.

"Do you wish to waive your rights?"

"Yes."

"The interrogation will now begin. On December 19th, 2004, were you inside the Raccoon quarantine walls?"

Leon answered. "Only me. Rebecca was in Los Angeles."

"How many incidents is Rebecca involved in?"

"...How many are there?"

"Six."

"One."

"Which one is that?"

Rebecca answered this time. "The prison in Nevada."

"Then we will skip to that one. Do you both confirm that you were in the prison site in Nevada?"

"Yes."

"Did you destroy the prison complex?"

"No."

Hunnigan raised an eyebrow. "Who blew up the prison?"

"Albert Wesker."

Hunnigan paused, looking at them. Then she wrote something down on the paper, got up, and left the room.

Leon and Rebecca sat there for a moment, silent.

"Was it something I said?" Leon asked, seeing the recorder still on. Rebecca shook her head, biting back a laugh and lightly jabbing his elbow with her own.

It was another minute before Hunnigan came through again. She quickly sat down and wrote something else onto the paper.

"Rebecca Chambers, in light of the new information concerning Albert Wesker, all questions will be withheld until further notice. We may consider sending you through a polygraph, and charges may be dropped from your permanent record."

_What the hell?_

Leon looked over at Rebecca, who wore the face of bewilderment that he felt.

"Leon Kennedy, you are still detained and all charges against you remain. Should your acts have positive intention behind them that may change.

"Please confirm that you were in the following states within the last four months. North Dakota. Alabama. Ohio. Texas."

"I have been in all of those states within the last four months."

"Was Rebecca Chambers with you on any of those occasions?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

Rebecca spoke up before Leon had a chance to reply. "I wasn't."

Hunnigan looked back at Rebecca. "These questions are directed at Kennedy only. Do you wish to say something?"

Rebecca leaned forward, her expression forming into a mild glare. "Yeah. I do. I was in Los Angeles, looking for Leon with my computer."

"Thank you for your input." Hunnigan said mildly, writing in the report. "Miss Chambers, I've decided to run you through the polygraph. Do you consent?"

Rebecca straightened out, her eyes glowing with intensity. "Of course."

"Very well." Hunnigan left the room, and came back a minute later with two spiffy-looking agents, both wearing Blues Brothers tuxedos. "Follow these men; they will escort you to the polygraph station." She said as she sat down again with Leon. Rebecca stood up from her chair, waiting to be unchained. Leon looked up at her, catching her eye and casting a reassuring smile. She returned it, discreetly motioning toward his chest.

_My stitches? Feels like I got his with a baseball bat. A bloody one._

He nodded his head slightly, mouthing an "okay" to her. She flashed her eyes against his before leaving, and Leon instantly knew that she was aware that he was lying.

_The sooner we get this shit over, the sooner medical attention can be received._

Rebecca left through the door, and Hunnigan continued.

"I'm going to be very frank with you, Leon. We don't need this interrogation to bust you. We have satellite photographs, leads, sightings, everything we need to arrest and imprison you for the rest of your life."

_Well fuck you, too._

"The only reason why you're here is because Homeland Security had their eyes on each of the areas you visited."

"So you already knew something was up, but were too pussy-footed to go in and find out what."

Hunnigan leaned back, crossing her arms and glaring. "You'll have to excuse the government for not being reckless and rushing in, Kennedy."

"Look," Leon replied tersely, the gash on his chest beginning to throb. "It's pretty clear this is about as far as we're going to get in here. You aren't going to put me in jail if I agree to some variety of terms. You already know Chambers had nothing to do with most of what I did, and you also know she has some experience with these viruses. So you're going to cut _her_ a deal, too. Am I close?"

"Hey, listen, asshole. If it was anyone else you'd already be serving your life term. Out of our kindness we are offering you redemption for everything, and all you have to do is exactly what you've been doing. As it is, you've been of great help to us, and because of your outstanding record we're confident that you will be able to further assist us. Of course, if you'd rather just die in some prison cell with Chambers that can be arranged."

Leon leaned back, sighing. Of course he was going to take the deal; the military had a habit of making everything one-sided. At the same time, he knew this would somehow come back and bite him right in the ass.

"You start in two weeks. I recommend you get your shit back up here ASAP." Hunnigan said after a moment.

"And what of Rebecca?"

"Rebecca will surrender her studies and work under government supervision. She will, of course, be well compensated for the change of venue."

"The charges?"

Hunnigan picked up the pile of papers in the folder and tore them in half. "What charges?" Leon smiled, shaking his head. She leaned over the table and took the handcuffs off of him, making for the door. "Welcome back, by the way." She spoke before leaving. A moment later Rebecca appeared, escorted by one of the Blues Brothers.

"I guess I work for the government now," She said as she walked into the room.

"I guess so." Leon replied.

"How is it?" She asked, motioning once more to the wound.

"I'm alright." Lie. "We'll take a look once we're in a Motel or something."

"You're pushing your luck, Leon." Rebecca warned.

Leon was about to respond when the door opened and a cop walked through. It was a woman, with streamlined pants and shiny black shoes. Her body was covered by a thin windbreaker. A few black strands of hair fell out of her hat and her eyes were covered by aviators, but Leon knew exactly who it was.

"I've been ordered to escort you to the nearest Motel where you'll be spending the evening." She purred softly. Her oh-so-familiar voice caused Leon's heart to ache. "Please follow me." She turned around and started walking.

Rebecca looked up at Leon, a puzzled look on her face. Leon kept watching the young woman in slight disbelief.

"Leon, isn't that-"

"Yeah."

"Why is she-?"

"Dunno."

And with that the two set off to follow the officer. They moved quickly toward the exit, dodging men and women in suits that were talking far too loudly, going every which way with seemingly no coordination. They made it out of the building and into a car. As soon as the doors closed Leon spoke up.

"Ada. What might _you _be doing here?"

-

"Well, what does it look like, handsome?" Ada replied, pulling out of the parking lot.

Leon scoffed. "Okay. Why are you taking us out of the area?"

"Because I want to help you on your next assignment."

"How do _you_ know my next assignment? _I_ don't even know my next assignment."

"Come on, Leon. Give it some thought."

_Oh. His next assignment is Wesker. Fancy that._

"Oh." Leon replied. "So, what? Are you spying on the government now?"

"Spying on the government? Of course not. It's just easier to get what you need when you look like an official. That's all."

Rebecca decided that getting her questions in now would be a good idea. "Where's the TC virus sample?"

Ada removed her aviators and looked up at Rebecca through the rearview mirror. "It's safe."

_Not good enough._

"Where. Is. It." Rebecca replied, letting all emotions run from her veins.

"It's in a laboratory at the pharmaceutical corporation S. It's being cared for. Happy?"

"For now." Rebecca cast a glance at Leon, who was looking back at her with slight surprise on his face.

_You may trust her, but I sure as hell don't._

She sighed, looking outside her window. They'd need to stop at a pharmacy or something-

_Bingo._

"Stop the car; I need to get medical supplies." She ordered, and Ada turned into the small shop. "Got a twenty?" She asked Ada as she pulled the car into park.

"Yeah. This is for you both, actually, in case you need anything." Ada replied, tossing back a money clip. Rebecca sifted through it, counting somewhere near a thousand.

"I'll be right back." Rebecca said as she opened the door, noticing that this wasn't a real cop car at all. If it was, there wouldn't be any rear-door handles. The lights probably didn't even work.

She was in and out in five minutes, and the three were soon on the road again. Leon and Ada were having some sort of conversation but Rebecca decided to ignore them for a while. Her head was beginning to throb.

_Jesus Christ, this has been a long week. Leon woke up; I get arrested, and begin working for the goddamn government. If this could get any weirder, I'm going to be fucking amazed._

She rested her head against the window, glad for the coldness of it. She felt her eyes close and soon the world around her faded out.

-

1998

"No offense, sir, but you look like shit." Rebecca told the officer sitting on the chair in front of her. His face was covered in grime and his semi-long brown hair clung his head. The blue Select Police Force uniform took on a brownish layer of muck, and bandages that appeared to be shredded pieces of cloth wrapped around his shoulder. "What the hell happened to your shoulder?"

"I got shot." The young man replied tartly.

"Have those bandages been replaced?" She asked, already knowing the answer. He looked up at her, a slight smile forming on his lips.

"I'm going to go ahead and let you guess."

Rebecca bit her lip, deciding how to go about this. "Can I patch you up properly?"

"Hey, be my guest. It's been like this for a few hours, though, so I doubt it's particularly pretty." Rebecca began to take off the dressings and saw that he wasn't lying. The blood had dried, fusing his jacket to his shoulder. It smelled like death. And that worried her.

"This doesn't look too good, there, guy. A lot of the skin here is rotted and you have a great chance of infection. Never mind it's really close to your heart, an infection could be lethal."

"What are you saying, doc? Are you going to have to remove the rotted skin? I hope so, I don't think I've smelled anything that bad since," He paused. "Never mind that."

"Yeah, I'll have to remove that stuff. Let's get your shirt off." She looked out of the room towards the rest of the motel room. "Barry, Jill?" She called. "Can you help me with something?" After a moment they were there. "I need you to hold onto his arms while I clean this wound." Jill looked down at it and her face cringed.

"Jesus, doesn't that hurt?" She asked the man. Barry gave him two wads of rolled-up paper to hold onto.

"Like nothing I've ever felt before, believe me. This is worse than when my girlfriend dumped me." He said. "All of 48 hours ago."

Barry chuckled. "You got dumped right before you went to "work"?" Leon nodded, also finding the humor in the incident.

"Go figure, right?" He replied. "Whenever you're ready, miss." He said, looking up at Rebecca.

"Alright," She said, grabbing up the scalpel on the table. "I just need you two to hold his arms out. Sir, just bend over slightly and try not to move." The man complied, taking a deep breath with his arms outstretched. Barry and Jill nodded to her, and she placed a hand on his back. "Here we go." She began her operation, slicing at the dead meat. For a few moments he didn't move anything, and let out a growl during some of the deeper cuts.

Then she hit a nerve ending, and the man slightly squirmed, his arm muscles tensing. A few more cuts and soon he was breathing hard, Barry and Jill fighting to keep him in place. She ran the hand that was resting on his back up to his neck and massaged it.

"You're doing great. I only need a few more minutes." He didn't respond, but his muscles slightly relaxed. "We're getting closer to good skin. I'm afraid this is going to hurt. A lot." She made her next incision and instantly he sank away from the knife, releasing a deep groan of discomfort. Slowly he raised himself back up, and Rebecca continued. In another minute she was done, the wound looking fresh and "healthy".

"You alright?" She asked the man as Jill and Barry gave him his arms back.

"You're lucky you're so damn cute," He replied. "I don't think I would have been able to stand you hacking into me otherwise." Rebecca smiled at him, shaking her head and beginning to sanitize to wound.

"So," He spoke, his voice raspy and uneven. "You got a name, doc?"

"That's medic," She corrected. "And I'm Rebecca Chambers. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Leon Kennedy. Nice to meet you too. You're pretty young for a cop, huh?"

She nodded, wrapping the injury in fresh gauze. "Eighteen. Been on one mission, which was a colossal failure."

"Yeah. You're not the only one." The job was finished in silence, Jill and Barry having left to do other things. Leon stood up, turning to face Rebecca.

"Thanks. I owe you one." He said, offering his hand. She took it, deciding that she liked this Leon fellow. And they had a bit in common, it seemed.

"Any time." She replied, smiling.

* * *

'Bout that time I introduced Ada. She was kinda hard to introduce here, but I think this is pretty sound. Also included a bit of how Leon and Becca may have met for those who care.

Word up.


	6. Chapter 5

...

* * *

"Hold your breath and don't move for a few more seconds." Rebecca ordered as she threaded the needle through Leon's chest. "There." She said, pulling the thread taught and cutting it with scissors. "All done. How does it feel?"

_I just had these things ripped out and replaced within the same day. Words can't describe the kind of pain I'm in._

Leon sat up, stretching. "Better. Thanks. You can be my doctor any day of the week."

"Yeah," She replied, putting all the equipment back in the box it came in. "But I bet the government can supply a lot better."

_Oh, here we go._

"The doctors the government issues don't make ridiculous faces when concentrating." Leon shot back, smiling.

Rebecca looked over at her friend, feigning a glare. "So when do we leave for the airport?" She asked, changing the subject.

"The tickets Ada gave us are for 7:30 tomorrow morning. They were purchased by the government, so I'm under the assumption that someone will be here bright and early to get us."

"And then how long do we have before we're back in DC?"

"Uh," Leon started, remembering. "Two weeks. You don't have to go to DC, just me. They can pretty much stick you anywhere you want to go."

"I know," Rebecca replied. "But I'm coming anyway. Ada said that your first mission is going to be to eliminate Wesker, and you know there's no way in hell I'm missing that party."

_Uh oh._

"Rebecca, please-"

She cut him off in mid-sentence, striding over to where he was standing. She looked up at him, determination dead-set in her eyes. "I know how dangerous he is, how dangerous the mission will be, and how much danger I'm going to get myself into. But this is my fight as much as it is yours. And you know it."

Leon raised his hands in the air next to his shoulders. "Hey, I'm not trying to talk you out of it. I'm just saying that because the operation is going to be government-run, things are going to be far different from Nevada. I don't know what they have planned any more than you do."

Her gaze drifted away from him and she turned, looking out the window. Judging from the light that poured through it was just after noon. "Would you trust them to give you an acceptable mission?"

_I have no choice but to._

"They've only given me one mission - to rescue President Graham's daughter. The odds were stacked against me, by a thousand to one."

"And you successfully completed the mission?"

"Is the President's daughter still alive?"

"I didn't know she was kidnapped."

Leon shook his head. "I wouldn't expect you to. But I'm trying to say that I expect the government to give us a _workable_ mission, but hardly an _acceptable _one."

"That's good enough for me." Rebecca said, turning to look at Leon. "So do I get anything _good_ for working for the government now?"

_Well, for starters, you get to kill crazed, evil megalomaniacs hellbent on spreading deadly viruses. That's a plus._

"Healthcare's paid for, among other things. The money's good... hell, the money's great..."

-

Three days later.

It was clear to Leon that Rebecca didn't travel too much. The two had ended up getting lost in a Kansas airport while switching planes, missed their flight, and had to take another.

_Leave it up to the government to provide an impossible itinerary._

They had gotten back to LA past dark, and although Leon was relatively immune to jet lag, Rebecca had passed out as soon as they walked through the front door - literally. He ended up carrying her to her room and she hadn't looked all too well since.

_Oh well. She can't be ill for much longer, It's already been quite some time..._

Less than two weeks before he was to report back to Washington. And if there was one thing Leon wasn't good at, it was wasting time.

_At this point there's not a whole lot to do._

He sighed, closing the back door behind him. Now on the deck, he looked out into the vast array of stars that danced above the mountains. He turned back to flick the deck light on before resting on a chair with his feet up on the table. A small radio next to his feet softly played smooth jazz. The outside air chilled him just enough to be comfortable. It was otherwise unusually silent in LA. Usually he could hear faint sirens or cars, but it seemed like the whole city knew that something was going on, and everyone was holding their breaths.

Leon came to the conclusion that he must've been suffering from minor jet lag as well, for an hour after he had went outside he was still there, watching the sky.

Or perhaps it wasn't jet lag at all. Perhaps it was just anxiety over everything that had occurred over the last 72-or-so hours. Perhaps it was Ada's promise before she left back in DC that she would see him in LA.

_Or maybe it's nothing, and you're just being stubborn and staying up late._

Could be that, too. The radio DJ began to talk.

"And we're about out of time, ladies and gentlemen. Thanks for listening to 94.7 - The Wave, Smooth Jazz. Goodnight." There was a moment of silence before their final song started.

It was a tune Leon knew from when he was young. Whenever he went over to his grandparents' house they would play it. It was one of his favorite songs because it made him feel secure, happy.

"_I don't want to set the world on fire..._" The singer crooned, and after a moment Leon found himself softly joining him. "_I just want to start, a flame in your heart..._" For a moment he was lost in the far past, remembering a childhood long since past.

His mind paid no attention crunching of leaves underfoot, and hardly skipped a beat when a second voice joined his for the next verse. "_In my heart I have but one desire..._"

Leon watched as Ada was suddenly illuminated by the deck light. She was wearing a pair of tight worn-in jeans and a dark green hoodie. Her raven-hair blew in the light breeze beginning to settle into the city, and she held her hands in her pockets. She continued to sing, as did Leon.

"_And that one is you, no other will do._" Ada began to slowly make her way up the short flight of steps. "_I've lost all ambition of worldly acclaim,_" She reached the top of the deck, and Leon stood up from his position to intercept her. Neither stopped singing. "_I just want to be the one you love..._" Leon felt a spike through his heart when that _particular _word left his body. Soon the two were less than a foot away from one another, standing there.

"_And with your admission that you feel the same..._" Leon sang alone, bringing his hands up to lightly grasp her covered forearms, all the while looking into her eyes. At his touch she drew in closer.

"_I'll have reached the goal I'm dreaming of..._" Ada finished. For a moment they stood there, the radio continuing without them.

"What brings you here?" He asked softly, his voice hardly over a whisper.

"I'm looking for a little redemption myself, actually." She replied, her voice not any louder than his. "There's this ex-cop I know, I've kind of been a thorn in his side for a few years. Hoping I could set things straight..."

Another moment of silence. Leon looked deep into her eyes, seeing that they suddenly looked unsure.

"_I just want to start,_" Leon sang softly, in sync with the music once more, reaching a hand up to her head and lightly ushering her closer. "_A flame in your heart._"

When she was close enough Leon leaned down slowly, and watched as her eyes closed before shutting his own. His heart pounded as he felt her breath washing over his face, smelled the seductive jasmine on her body, and at that moment he wanted nothing else. He didn't want to work for the government, he didn't want to go and assassinate Wesker. He wanted her. As he had for so long, and yet she was always just out of his grasp. But this night was different. Tonight he wasn't propping her dying body up against his own in some underground hellhole or uncontrollably strangling the life out of her on a godforsaken island in Spain. Tonight the woman of his dreams was sharing his body heat under the star-filled sky. There were no dangers, no imposing mission objectives, no hidden agendas.

Their lips finally connected, starting a long, heartfelt kiss that would leave them both out of breath.

Ada looked down at her watch when the kiss finally ended. She looked back up at Leon, smiling. "1:30... Happy Valentine's Day, Leon."

And Leon knew that finally, He had Ada Wong.


	7. Chapter 6

these past months have taught me a few important lessons.

1. life will catch up with you. always.

2. i can not write emotional mushy stuff. it took me three months to come up with about a thousand words. if you want mushy, read something else. i simply can't do it.

* * *

"I had a tough mission today," She said, putting her weapon on the table as she sifted through her laptop's contents.

"Oh?" The other person replied, their voice carrying through the computer's speakers. A small icon lit up on the screen, notifying her that the voice pattern was recognized. '_DEAD RAIN - 7178412 - inactive' _flashed across the icon before it disappeared.

"Yeah. I had to assassinate the US Senator David Lambert and his family. Apparently they threatened to pose a problem to the corporation."

"That does sound hard. Tight security?"

"That wasn't the hard part."

A pause. "What was?"

She turned away from the laptop and looked at the cold weapon resting on the table. The business end was pointed in her direction, almost threatening her. "What do you think?"

Another pause. "I know. Is it getting to you?"

"His family? Why? They had nothing to do with what he was doing."

"Better safe than sorry, I suppose."

She scowled. "So I'm not supposed to care, is that it?"

A sigh. "I don't think you got seven digets by caring, now did you, Red? Why start now?"

"Maybe you're right."

"Hey, you do and feel as you damn-well please. Just make sure you aren't going to dig yourself into a hole. I saved you once. Twice might be pushing it."

-

At first she thought it was part of a dream. She thought she was in the jungle, and what she was hearing was the faint drum beats of a native colony.

Then the pain set in. A rhythmic _boom, boom, boom _across her skull. Rebecca forced her eyes open as she turned on her side, the light of a bright, new day blinding her.

_This must be what hell is like._

The jet lag had done serious harm to her internal clock. Skipping across time zones at such a speed definitely wasn't healthy. Her eyes darted up to the clock next to her bed.

_6:49._

At least she woke up at around the right time. Maybe if she got through today, she'd be alright. Slowly she pulled her legs out of the warm cocoon of her sheets and planted her feet on the carpet. She leaned forward and felt the blood rush to her head, causing another burst of pain.

_IF I get through the day..._

After a moment Rebecca forced herself up, fighting the vertigo and wrapping a hand around the side of her face, making for the door. As she opened it a cool breeze washed over her, slightly relieving her of her headache.

She stood at the top of the stairwell a moment, listening. Silence. No radio, no fan, nothing.

_It's not like Leon to sleep in. Maybe he's out or something._

She ambled down the stairwell, still slightly dumbfounded by the lack of noise that suddenly engulfed her. It was like she was the only one occupying the house again. As she hit the bottom step she went straight for the kitchen, immediately readying the coffee pot. Once it started pouring, she took the few steps to the garage, opening it a crack. The Corvette was still there.

_So he must be in here somewhere._

He wouldn't be down in the lab. He certainly wasn't upstairs, else she would have seen him. And she could see from there that his room was empty. So that would leave...

Rebecca walked over to the back of the house. The porch was the last place he could be, but he wouldn't-

_Well, I'll be damned._

There he was. Or, rather, there _they_ were. Leon was laying on one of the pool chairs, his arms wrapped around another figure that rested on top of him, eyes closed. The other person was doing much the same.

"Leon," Rebecca mumbled, watching them through the glass. "You have an Ada on top of you. Might want to see to that." She guessed Leon had only been out to listen to music and relax, judging from the small radio that occupied the table. Then Ada showed up... "And that's why." Rebecca turned to the calender on the wall, recognizing it is February 14th. Valentine's day. "Adorable." She turned away from the sleeping couple, the coffee coming back to her.

_This'll get rid of the headache. Then I can get everything ready for the big day. Only a week and a half or so left..._

She grabbed her cup and opened the door to the cellar. She'd might as well get back in the swing of things while she could.

-

It was the smell of coffee wafting through a nearby window that told them they'd been found out.

A small giggle emanated from the Asian beauty on top of him. "So is she going to freak? I mean, we don't exactly seem to be on the best of terms..." A flash of uncertainly swept across her porcelain face as her fingers danced around in Leon's hair.

"Nah. She won't mind." Leon thought on it a second more. "Okay, she might mind. But not too much." His addition brought a small smile to Ada's face, and she lowered her head down to his, connecting another kiss.

Leon could feel all of his worries float away with her in his arms. It was like he was a child again, waking up on Christmas morning. The joy, the excitement, the complete and total disregard for anything but his own desires. This was magical. He let his hands slide down Ada's body, catching themselves at the small of her back. In a moment his arms were wrapped around her, pulling her impossibly closer to him. Ada rested her head on his chest, her own arms finding their way around his chest.

"Unfortunately, I'll have to get ready soon," She whispered, almost apologetically.

_Busy, busy, busy._

Leon smiled. "I know. I guess I don't have much time either."

"You know, if you want," Ada spoke up, craning her head to look up at him. Leon's heart jumped as her beautiful jade eyes met his. "Once this is all over, I can "arrange" an early retirement for you." She got a little closer. "And me." She added quieter.

Leon cracked a smile, as he so often did with Ada's presence, and pressed his lips to her own.

"Sounds good to me, babe." He whispered as he broke off the kiss.

* * *

leave a review.


	8. Chapter 7

In college now. Sorry this has taken so long.

* * *

_Well, so much for getting back in the swing of things, Chambers._

Alright, so it looked like Rebecca wouldn't be getting a whole lot done today. Almost as soon as she sat down in the chair in her lab, her feet had somehow kicked themselves up onto the desk and her eyes landed on the small TV in the room. It was a news report going over some agricultural development in Washington. Yawn.

_But I guess it's better than what _could_ be on the news. Could be something bad. Could be broadcasting about bioterrorism or war. Or-_

The phone rang, bringing her out of her thoughts. She muted the television and picked up the receiver.

"This message is for: Chambers, Rebecca." A synthesized voice said before Rebecca could even answer it proper. "Message begins."

"Rebecca, it's Crowe. Listen, I don't know what's going on, but I just got a call from some people claiming to be government officials. They're saying that you've been researching volatile substances and your station needs to be examined for any threatening substances."

_The government? They already know that, and I said I was willing to share what I had found. Why would they-_

_-Because it's not the government._

"Rebecca, I'm willing to bet that these guys aren't who they say they are. You need to come and take your work from your bench as soon as you can."

"Message ends. Would you like to hear the message aga-"

_Shit._

Rebecca dropped the phone and grabbed the coffee on the table, making her way for the stairs. It would be a cold day in hell before she'd let Umbrella take her research...

The door to the basement hit the wall with a light _crack_ as Rebecca forced it open, hastily making for the nearby closet. She slung her windbreaker on and kicked the small shoe box lid off of the box near her feet, revealing a small semiautomatic handgun. She grabbed it and turned for the door, only somewhat registering that Leon was up and watching her.

"I'll be back." She said, already calculating a plan in case things got hairy.

"What are you doing?" Leon asked, Rebecca picking up concern in his voice.

"Protecting my investments. I'll be fine." She replied, already through the garage door and closing it.

She shut herself in the Altima and had already turned the ignition when she saw Leon open the door, confusion awash in his features. A moment later, she was turning onto the main road. With a forceful stomp her car roared to life and she headed for work, palming open the glove compartment for the spare magazines that were held within.

_So what does this mean? Has Wesker already caught wind that we're going after him again? We've laid low for so long... besides, he had that operator in when we were being interrogated. He said he was sure we'd be locked up._

Rebecca picked up speed as she neared the end of the on-ramp, taking a glance back at the oncoming traffic before merging. Maybe this wasn't because they'd been found out. It could have been simply because he wanted her research data - she had, after all, made great strides with the T Virus, which she'd been able to aquire through less than legal means...

_But why? I bet he has a massive crack-team of experts working on that, and the TC Virus. Is _my_ input _really_ that important to him?_

She drank her coffee in gulps as she neared her exit, seeing the pharmaceutical building towering over others near it. Soon after she was pulling into the parking lot, quickly gliding into nearest open space to the entrance. She pocketed the handgun and threw on a lab coat she had stashed on top of her rear passenger seats. She did her best to quickly fix her hair in the rear view mirror before making for the door, leaving the empty coffee mug in the side seat.

The guard at the lobby gave her a quick smile. "Good morning, Doctor Chambers. Feeling better? I heard you caught a nasty bug."

Rebecca forced a smile back. "Yes, thank you. I am." She continued straight for the elevator behind the front desk. She stood to the side as it opened and a flood of people came out. She slipped in and pressed the button for her floor. As the door slid closed she overheard the guard talking to the woman at the front desk.

"I thought Doctor Chambers was afraid of eleva-" The doors closed fully, showing Rebecca her pale reflection in the stainless steel elevator. She wasn't afraid of elevators, but she wasn't particularly fond of tight spaces.

The elevator lurched up, and Rebecca felt the weight of the semiautomatic weapon tucked in her pocket sag. She deftly put her hand over it, readying herself in the increasingly likely event that she would need to make use of it.

The elevator stopped. Rebecca eyed the LCD screen on the side of the wall - it had stopped a floor early.

_Shit._

The doors slid open after a moment and Rebecca slipped through, making her way for the stairwell. As she neared the doors to the stairwell a man emerged, dressed in a black uniform with a balaclava and reinforced helmet. He was talking into the radio attached to his lapel when he spotted her.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but you can not use the stairw-"

Rebecca took the handgun from her pocket and swung it in her hand - hard. It connected with the guard and he fell, Rebecca brushing past him without a second glance. There was no way in hell she was going to let some Umbrella asshole get in her way. She ascended the stairs quickly, taking them two at a time. Her handgun lazily aimed forward, swaying slightly as she rose.

She finally got to her floor, a sign with a black _16_ etched into it resting on the wall next to a metal door. Light shown through the small side window in the door, and Rebecca could see two more guards posted on the other side, facing the hallway. There was a muffled conversation coming through the door from the hallway, and she moved herself so she could see down the hallway through the window. There was a scientist - after a moment Rebecca recognized him as Crowe, her boss - and a third guard... no, he had a olive-drab trenchcoat on and he was showing serious signs of aging; Rebecca could clearly see the patch of skin on his head. After a moment she could make out the conversation between him and Crowe.

"Listen, I don't know what you're talking about. Chambers was a part of the viral studies wing, but she _never _worked on the T-Virus!" Crowe exclaimed, irritation and confusion mixed on his face.

_Hmph. As far as he knows, anyway._ That was just a little secret that she had kept to herself. Nobody needed to know.

"Mister Crowe, I know it's your duty to protect your workers, but I'm going to ask you nicely, one last time-" The officer said. His voice was familiar...

"And I've already told you, she didn't have the T-Virus. Nobody in this building did." Crowe cut him off, his voice terse.

The officer took a handgun out from his trench coat and pointed it directly between Crowe's eyes. "My patience is running thin, Mister Crowe, I suggest you tell me the truth."

Rebecca's heart jumped as she watched Crowe's legs give out under him, now on his knees. His wrinkled features now showed immense fear.

"Please, sir... I've told you everything I know, I swear if she was do-" Crowe was cut off by a sharp _crack_ coming from the officer's handgun. Rebecca covered her mouth in surprise, slight tears welling up in her eyes. He _killed _Crowe.

"You displease me, Mister Crowe. If only you'd learned sooner that I wasn't fooling around." The officer turned to the door and Rebecca recognized him - he was the scumbag back in DC. The one who had found her and Leon and reported them to the FBI. "You." He said, pointing at one of the guards. "Go downstairs and tell the woman at the front desk that there's been an incident, and that there's no need to panic. Everything is under control."

One of the guards moved in front of the door. "Sir!" They said, turning around.

_That bastard... I'm not letting him get away with this..._

Rebecca kicked the door with all her force and it swung forward, knocking the closest guard right in the face.

"What the-" The other guard began, but Rebecca was already there, pointing her handgun around the corner and firing. The weapon kicked back in her loose grip, sending a bolt of pain up her arms. The guard released a muffled groan and Rebecca heard him slump against the wall. She moved around the edge and spotted the guard, clutching his shoulder in pain. His handgun was still holstered and there was no way he was getting to it quickly. He was out of the match_._

_BAM! BAM!_

Two rounds flew at her, one tearing a hole through the lower part of her overcoat and the other hitting the door she was behind. Rebecca quickly changed her grip on the gun and pointed around the edge of the door, squeezing the trigger again at the officer. She then thrust her entire body out into the hallway, spotting the officer running the opposite direction down the hall, aiming back and firing. Two more rounds rocketed out at Rebecca, both embedding themselves harmlessly in the wall. She responded by taking another shot at the man, but missed. The officer turned the corner at the end of the hallway and was gone, likely heading for the other stairwell.

Rebecca already began to chase after him, but stopped at Crowe's body. She would get him another time; right now, she had something to do. She looked down at Crowe with sorrow. His eyes were glassed and empty and they stared up into hers. She kneeled down and shut them with her open hand.

"I'm sorry..." She mumbled, a pang of guilt washing over her. It was her fault he was dead.

An obnoxious siren sounded throughout the building, a general alarm that meant "get out of the building, right now". Rebecca stood up and began to make her way for her work area. She noted that the entire floor was empty - they must have been told to leave before she had come. She quickly got to her work station and gave it a once-over; the computer was on, and the screen showed a black window with green text in it, reading "Password Decryption 98% Complete". Her desk had been thoroughly trashed and paper was strewn about everywhere. Umbrella had taken very little caution in their search.

Rebecca glanced up at the ceiling, noting that the panels that lined the ceiling were intact.

_Well, try as they might, they didn't find what they were looking for._

She aimed her handgun at the corner of the centermost panel and fired. The noise rocked through the small room and the panel burst apart, shooting bits and pieces everywhere. The most intact part of the panel fell in front of Rebecca, and a small oblong black metal box came with it, clanging loudly against the desk.

_Still here._

The computer monitor flashed "Complete" and then she was seeing her work screen, all the information about her research there.

_Well, almost all of it. Just not the research they're interested in._

Rebecca slipped off her white overcoat and reached for the keyboard, keying in the command for an emergency hard drive purge. As soon as she hit the last key, all of the information disappeared and the computer shut down.

_Good enough. I bet they've already got more people coming up the building. Going back the way I came is a no-go..._

She picked up the metal box and stuffed it in one of her jeans pockets and began to ball up her overcoat around her left hand, walking over to the nearby window. The view overlooked the front lot, and she noticed the power cable extending down across the other street. She opened the window and stepped up onto the ledge, taking aim of the cable as far down as she thought she could hit. After steadying her hand she fired, and a moment later she saw the cable twitch and become limp, falling toward the building. She stuffed the handgun into her now-filled jeans and grabbed hold of the now-dead cable, swinging out and spinning around, planting her feet against the wall. The wind blew at her, cold and unrelenting. Then she lessened her grip on the cable and began falling, just as she saw the wretched man inside about to turn to the office.

The cable flew by her fingers with an audible "zzzip" and she descended, the wind picking up and beginning to thrash her. The overcoat wrapped around her hands was beginning to warm, and she saw that she had already halved her distance to the ground. She _also_ noticed, with some dismay, a black Corvette Zo6 pulling into the parking lot. It began to turn more into the lot before suddenly straightening out and driving right below her.

_BAM!_

A bullet whizzed right past her from above, searing the skin on her elbow. Rebecca yelped out in pain and her grip slightly loosened, speeding up her descent.

_Shit..._

She looked down and noticed the cable dangling a few meters above the ground, almost an entire story. She slid down to the end and dangled there a moment. She glanced back up and saw the officer take a knife out, moving toward the cable. Her eyes widened as he grabbed the cable with one hand, and adrenaline took over as he severed it, the cable suddenly becoming loose. Suddenly she was falling. With a loud _thump_ she hit connected with hood of the Corvette back first, her vision blacking out. Her limp body rolled off and hit the ground.

_Ugh. Not so great an idea..._

Someone was pulling her up. After a moment her vision began to return and she recognized the straight brown hair and concerned facial features. "L-Leon..." she mumbled, trying to regain her composure.

"Are you alright? Can you walk?" He replied, one of his rough hands moving down her back, then her legs, probably feeling for broken bones.

"Just give me a moment." She said, her vision clearing. A few seconds later she stood up, likely bruised but ultimately okay. "Get back to the house." She ordered, peering back up at the building. "It's not safe here."

"Oh," Leon started. "I thought you jumped out of sixteen-story buildings just for fun. We're having a talk once we get back." Rebecca was already walking the short distance to her car.

"Let's just get out of here before more show up." She said before she slipped into the Altima, becoming aware of the metal box stuffed into her jeans as she sat. "Not today, Wesker." She started the car and pulled out, glad to be anywhere but at work.

"Not today."

* * *

Reviews are always appreciated.


	9. Chapter 8-ish

I don't know if anyone who used to read this stuff is still around. I don't really know if anyone would care about this, but It's something I've wanted to do for several years now.

This story probably isn't getting finished. It hasn't been touched since '09, and a lot has changed since than. I no longer have the time to write fanfiction. I'm not really interested in these characters anymore. Other things too.

What follows is the last bit of the story that I was working on prior to my hiatus, unreviewed and unrevised by me. Afterwards, I'll put up some fun facts about certain elements in the story and where I got the ideas for them.

* * *

Homeland Security was already there when they got back home. They already knew what had happened and why it happened.

In spite of Rebecca's outlandish protection of her work, she handed over her research to the DHS willingly. Leon guessed that she knew it would be safer in their hands, and that they promised she could resume work on it freely later. Even so, it was a serious contrast to what she had just done.

_Going up against Umbrella alone, to get research she wasn't supposed to have. Now Wesker knows we're out. Our element of surprise is lost. What was she thinking?_

One of the DHS officers approached him, sitting on one of the chairs in the living room. Rebecca was near, wrapping her hurt elbow up.

"Due to the events of today we're going to have to relocate you. If you want, we can transfer you both directly to DC within the day." The officer spoke to him.

Leon nodded. "That alright with you?" He asked Rebecca, turning to look at her.

"Yeah. Let's do it." She replied.

A few hours passed and the officers left. "So what happened back there? What was so special about that virus sample that you'd go there without backup?" Leon asked her, his gaze resting on her downturned head.

Rebecca was leaning over with her arms on her knees, looking down at the ground. Her hands were clasped and they hung loosely off of her knees. Her face was emotionless and her eyes slowly drifted around, completely disinterested in everything around her.

"You already heard what I told the DHS. Umbrella wanted it, and I wasn't about to let them have it." She spoke quietly, almost distantly. "But it bothered me that they would go and get my research on the Virus. _They're_ the experts on it, not me." She moved, raising her left arm up and leaning her chin against it. "I wanted to make a cure. That's what I've been doing with it. Why do they want it anyway?"

_Hell if I know._

"You know Umbrella. Maybe they thought that you were trying to make another virus or something." Leon offered. "I certainly wouldn't put it past them, you know?"

Rebecca didn't move, her eyes falling back onto the carpet. After a moment she nodded, apparantly accepting the answer. "Sorry, Leon. I got carried away."

_You sure did._

"You don't have to apologize. It's not like you have to run everything by me." Leon paused. "But it _was_ pretty dangerous. Why not hook up with the CDC?"

* * *

That's it. I know, guys, I know. You're just dying to hear Rebecca's response. She doesn't have one. It was for the best. It probably included the phrase "cheese doodles".

"Because cheese doodles, Leon," Rebecca spat. "That's why."

**FUN FACTS TIME**

**TINY CREATURES? TONS'O'CARNAGE? TUMULTUOUS CAESAR? **The "TC" in TC Virus stands for Tyrant-Carver. The Tyrant virus from Resident Evil, and, for lack of a better name, the Carver virus from Far Cry: Instincts. Several of the descriptions and scenarios from the first installment in this trilogy were ripped wholesale from FC:I. It's a good game. Give it a chance. I liked Carver as a character: a rough, tough, angry guy who has superpowers and it's awesome.

**DEAD RAIN? WHY, THAT'S A NAME THAT ONLY AN ANGRY TEENAGER COULD LOVE!** Truly. Dead Rain was the name of one of the songs on the Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within soundtrack. I used it as a random name during a Halo 1 system link party one time at a friend's house and promptly forgot about it. Then he reminded me of it two years later, and it ended up sticking for... must have been almost a decade, now. It's undergone some changes; namely, "Raen", or "Ræn". I was such a badass when I was younger. I'm trying to stop using it and move on to something less awkward.

Coincidentally, there's a flash series on Newgrounds called "Dead Rain", and it's about zombies. But don't look it up. I watched it. It's horrible.

**YOU DIDN'T SHIP YOUR OC WITH THE PRIMARY FEMALE PROTAGONIST. SON I AM PROUD.** I am proud, too. Rain was never supposed to end up shipped. I sort of knew right from the get-go that he was going to die. Leon would never let him leave that shithole alive, after all. At least, RE4 Leon wouldn't. RE6 Leon might, the pansy. But anyway, I used an OC to get the ball rolling, and proceeded to use already-defined characters to keep the story rolling. He died to get Leon and Ada out, and therefore... stuff. I used him again in #3 to help explain some of Ada's otherwise unknown past, but I never really knew where it would end up heading. It was one of the few things that I didn't have planned out right from the start of my writing Redemption.

**YOU HAD REDEMPTION PLANNED FROM THE GET-GO? AND YOU DIDN'T FINISH IT, YOU BIG JERK? **U MAD BRO LOL

**WHAT ARE THE PLOT POINTS, I'M THE ONLY PERSON READING THIS WHO WAS ON THE EDGE OF THEIR SEAT WAITING? **Leon, Ada and Co would team up with some of Chris' war buddies, who would be Bad Company - you know, like in the game Bad Company. Not the exact characters or anything, but I wanted to team the super-serious group up with a bunch of guys who didn't give a shit and let it play out. Maybe give Rebecca a little R&R. Eventually the group would infiltrate Wesker's main base of operations, fuck shit up hardcore style, and leave in time for breakfast. And then RE5 came out and Wesker died in Africa, so that bit would probably have been changed. Leon and Ada would finally get together. Other things might happen too. Billy Coen would _not_ make a showstopping appearance.

**THERE'S NO SEX IN THIS STORY, WHAT GIVES?** Writing a sex scene is hard. Writing a sex scene _well_ is harder. Besides, I'm no romantic. I'm a warrior. Or, I wish I was a warrior. These days I'm just a tired young man.

**HEY, SPEAKING OF REBECCA, IT SEEMED TO ME LIKE LEON AND REBECCA WERE, YOU KNOW...** YES I KNOW OKAY, I ADMIT IT. I like Leon and Rebecca as a couple. Their initiations into the RE world were very similar, and they're about the same age. 'Becca's actually my favorite character in the series, and I'm very disappointed that Capcom hasn't made more use of her. Her presence in RE5: Mercs was wonderful, and she's easily one of the best characters. But anyway, no, the story was for Leon and Ada to hook up, not him and Rebecca. Such a shame. She's so damn cute.

**HEY, I LIVED IN LOS ANGELES IN 2005, AND I DISTINCTLY REMEMBER JANUARY BEING INCREDIBLY STORMY THE WHOLE TIME, JUST LIKE YOU SAID IN REDEMPTION!** Yup. Did my research.

**ARE YOU GOING TO PICK THIS UP AGAIN****?** Never say never, but...maybe. Over the course of their lifetime, each complete story has netted around 3.5k views. That's a notable number. So I might. But then again, I once posted a 1.20 minute video on YouTube that contained a single, small joke that took all of twenty minutes to make, and that got 260k views. So it's hard to justify my taking potentially hundreds of hours that I can't really spare to finish a story that will reach so few. But you never know.

**EVERYONE CARE AT LOW HP, KARTHUS' ULT IS UP.** It's k, I'm Kayle. Divine Intervention all day, yo.


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